With all of the confusion I've been hearing about the border/passport requirements I thought i'd share some info I got in a conversation with "La Migra" last night coming home from baja...

Passports are not required.

HOWEVER- A drivers license is no longer enough as they do not prove citizenship.

A License in conjunction with either a birth certificate OR a voter ID card will get you back across the border.

A passport alone WILL get you back across.

AS explained to me, this is not because of the pending passport requirement but rather in response to 2 pending lawsuits, both seem very frivolous, from people crossing the border, refusing to answer the citezenship question and then suing when being stuck in 2ndary...

I crossed just fine with friends who only had a CDL last night thanks to a friendly agent however he told me all this and pointed out that people who are not extremely respectful were being put into 2ndary(the line to get into 2ndary was friggen LOONG!) in order to have have their citizenship verified.

Bottom Line- Get a passport and until then...take a birth certificate or voter ID card(you do vote right?) in conjunction with your Drivers license.

Mike

drabnor

01-16-2007, 12:06 PM

good info there

1noobie

01-16-2007, 01:01 PM

Yup yup.

miguelitro

01-16-2007, 01:24 PM

yup yup yup...

TimF

01-16-2007, 01:42 PM

Thanks for the info, when I crossed at like 11:45 December 31st I didn't have any probs with my girlfriend only having her DL (I have a passport). Friends that crossed at the same time didn't even have to show ID to cross. So who knows. I will be getting her a Passport this year so we don't have to worry about it when it is needed to get back.

miguelitro

01-16-2007, 04:11 PM

Thanks for the info, when I crossed at like 11:45 December 31st I didn't have any probs with my girlfriend only having her DL (I have a passport). Friends that crossed at the same time didn't even have to show ID to cross. So who knows. I will be getting her a Passport this year so we don't have to worry about it when it is needed to get back.

I also crossed on dec 31 and there was no mention of this, actually i have crossed 3 times since then:D and only this lasst time was anything different.
Mike

Ebruddah

01-16-2007, 04:48 PM

I will be getting her a Passport this year so we don't have to worry about it when it is needed to get back.

It took 6 weeks for me to get mine last year it could be less than 2 if you get it expedited...

TimF

01-16-2007, 05:41 PM

It took 6 weeks for me to get mine last year it could be less than 2 if you get it expedited...

Thanks for the info.

It was about the same time it took for me 6 years ago.

I don't think I will expedite it as it's double the money!

eric90503

01-17-2007, 12:41 AM

Last November my buddy and I went down south. Five cars back from the border, it seemed everyone in front of me was getting the 50questions and taking forever.
Luckily my friend and I both had our passports (1st time, CDL before)
Had them out and open, gave them to border patrol as soon as I pulled up.
Agent scanned them like a credit card and was out in 30 seconds.
From now on that's the only way to go for me.

elenex50

01-17-2007, 09:31 PM

weird, my friends and I went sunday for tacos and beer in the middle of the night and we just used our drivers license and he didnt even look. the guy at the gate just asked us if we were from the us and let us pass.

what happened

01-18-2007, 03:15 AM

Well atleast i dont have to worry about it, cuz ill never go back there again.

miguelitro

01-18-2007, 10:41 AM

weird, my friends and I went sunday for tacos and beer in the middle of the night and we just used our drivers license and he didnt even look. the guy at the gate just asked us if we were from the us and let us pass.

Yeah that was the feeling that I got...that it was up to each individual agent to ask for more than an ID. I did not mean that you would have to have all that stuff just that it might be a good idea.

How were the tacos? TJ is pretty crazy right now being essentially a military controlled zone.

miguelitro

01-18-2007, 10:44 AM

Well atleast i dont have to worry about it, cuz ill never go back there again.

Good, i go there to get away from people like you. That is actually what is so great about mexico, it weeds out the week of heart.

drabnor

01-18-2007, 10:48 AM

Hi, I'm Ricky Bobby, urging you to never go to Tijuana.

haha god damn i love that movie

Tanto

01-18-2007, 11:13 AM

TJ is pretty crazy right now being essentially a military controlled zone.
What's this all about?

equin

01-18-2007, 01:40 PM

What's this all about?

Rival drug gangs and cartels have been warring over who gets control for some time. The past year or so saw much more killing and mayhem than usual along the border. Pressure from the U.S. to finally do something about it led the Mexican gov't to stop dragging its feet and send some troops in the hopes of keeping the blood bath down a bit.

equin

01-18-2007, 01:48 PM

And just to add - it's not just TJ. Nuevo Laredo across from Texas border has gotten a whole lot bloodier with the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels machine-gunning it out in broad daylight scarface style.

miguelitro

01-18-2007, 03:49 PM

No
TJ is unique in that 2 weeks ago the federal gov. sent in the military, took all weapons away from the local cops due to suspected drug ties and are essentially cleaning house.

Every road out of TJ has gnarly checkpoints looking for weapons with full body armored machine gun toting militares...trust me its pretty crazy here right now.

My biggest fear is being inn the wrong place a the wrong time and getting caught in the cross fire of retribution...so I really have been staying out of TJ even though there are some great places down there to eat and er...do other stuff:D

miguelitro

01-18-2007, 03:50 PM

of course Equin you are right Loreto is extremely violent and dangerous

Darwalk

01-18-2007, 03:55 PM

Mike, I was down there the day after they did the military thing. I have NEVER waited as long as I did coming back as that day. I walked and trollied to Chula Vista. It took 2.5 hours to get through. We go down to Rosarito to the inlaws condo alot, but only have to show the DL. Even after the new year. We keep the passports in the glove box though...

Tweeter

01-18-2007, 03:57 PM

I usually just flip on the Borrego Suit and walk on in, no one can challenge the Borrego Boy :D

Baja Belk

01-18-2007, 08:08 PM

of course Equin you are right Loreto is extremely violent and dangerous

Uuuhh.. Loreto or Laredo??

marnes2986

01-19-2007, 12:39 AM

No
TJ is unique in that 2 weeks ago the federal gov. sent in the military, took all weapons away from the local cops due to suspected drug ties and are essentially cleaning house.

Every road out of TJ has gnarly checkpoints looking for weapons with full body armored machine gun toting militares...trust me its pretty crazy here right now.

My biggest fear is being inn the wrong place a the wrong time and getting caught in the cross fire of retribution...so I really have been staying out of TJ even though there are some great places down there to eat and er...do other stuff:D

Yup i was watching that on the news...Looks like the mex govt took away all the guns from the local cops. They showed a bunch of cops patroling the street with empty holsters haha. THe reporter interviewed some of the military and they looked like something straight out of Rainbow6, ski masks and everything........Id say TJ is pretty safe with the military patrolling, but once they leave its gonna be the same thing all over again.

miguelitro

01-19-2007, 10:24 AM

Uuuhh.. Loreto or Laredo??

Both:D

Baja Belk

01-19-2007, 07:53 PM

Both:D

Loreto dangerous?! No way. Unless it's gotten crazy in the last 5 months or so. I ususally go down about 2 or 3 times a year and the biggest "crime" we ran into was someone deflating our tires since we didn't pick them to be our fishing captain. The cops don't even carry guns. I've accidentally left sunglasses and wallets on car seats with open windows with no problems. Total little sleepy fishing village, I love it.